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14 CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Drive to Alaska!

A few years ago, we drove from Connecticut to Alaska. The specific circumstances made it slightly less crazy than it sounds, but, based on the reactions of most others who hear about it, including the Canadian border patrol officer in Emmerson, Manitoba, it was not a thing most people would do. (As an aside, I would highly recommend it—or at least the parts including Banff/Jasper and north of Fort Nelson: The rushing rivers, snow-capped mountains, and endless wildlife—often at the side of the road—are continually breathtaking, even for thousands of miles!)

At various points along the way there were construction stoppages, especially as we got further north, where some gravel roads and rickety bridges were being improved. We were lucky that the weather was generally beautiful, so when there was a stoppage, we got out of the car to better enjoy the beauty, watch the work, and talk with fellow travelers who were stopped with us. Some were “locals” from within a few hundred miles, who made the trip regularly for supplies or other reasons. But many were tourists like us, driving from Florida, Alabama, Texas, and other places.

After one such stop it occurred to me that I could talk to 100 people, perhaps 1000, perhaps 10,000, in Connecticut and not find one who would have been willing—much less excited—to drive to Alaska. And yet now we were surrounded by them. The place to find them was on the drive to Alaska!

It is commonly known that if you want to find people with similar interests you should just pursue those interests and you will find those people. This seemed an extreme example, but absolutely validated the advice. If you want to find people who love what you love (no matter how unusual—in fact, the more unusual, the more important this advice is!!), just do what you love and you will find them there. And until they show up, you’ll be doing what you love!


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